1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is related to protective packaging and methods. In particular, to a suspension packaging system and method that suspends an article within a container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Packaging an enclosed article is an art and a science including various requirements of protection, promotion, law, logistics, manufacturing, and materials handling all combined into one. While the functions of a package are various and may include the ability to contain, carry, dispense, identify, and communicate, very rarely can one packaging structure achieve all functions and therefore a combination of more than one packaging structures are combined into a packaging system in order to meet all requirements of an article. Three broad categories cover the scope of a packaging system, primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging. While a primary or first packaging structure such as a formed rigid or semi-rigid retail package such as a blister, skin, or clamshell can decorate and promote or encourage purchase of an enclosed article, a secondary or second packaging structure may be required such as wraps, inserts, liners, foam, pads, or other materials to limit movement within an outer container for transportation and warehousing. To further protect an article from the environment of shock, vibration, and compression, a tertiary or third packaging structure such as an outside container crate, or bulk pack may be required. A packaging system therefore, can quickly become bulky and costly, and forbid one or more desired functions in exchange for the necessary function or primary purpose of a package, to protect an article, especially where an article is fragile and can be best protected when suspended within a container.
There are several suspension packages such as Suspension Packaging U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,388,701 and 5,894,932 and 5,975,307 that suspend articles inside a container, however, they are limited in materials such as they use corrugated which is a material widely used for containment and not as a protective cushioning. A frame is used to sandwich the article between flexible films and suspend the articles in a container. This hammock like configuration leaves the articles susceptible to vibration and the potential to reach resonance, causing damage.
This limits the protection of the article from sinusoidal and random vibration in transportation, where the article bounces up and down with the elasticity of the film hammock configuration while in the container. Even though the suspension feature places the article within the container to protect it from impacts to the outside walls of the container, the article and/or components of an article will still receive g forces and may reach resonance while in transportation and become damaged. Therefore, where articles such as a wine glass would be protected in one of these suspension packages, an electronics article may not. In addition, these suspension packages are hard to assemble if received flat, and bulky if received already assembled causing a high price in warehousing, transportation, and assembly.
Although the need for some structural support has been recognized as found in Retention Packaging such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,678,695 and 7,150,356, there is now the limitation of protection from too much packaging contact with the article. In attempting to satisfy the need for structural support the opposite occurs from that of the suspension package that allows space between an impact and the article. If too much packaging material is in contact with an article, shock and vibration travel to the product through the package because there is no space between the impact and the article, and again, while certain articles may do well with a Retention Packaging System, many won't, limiting the number of articles the Retention Packaging can protect.
The present disclosure resolves these issues by suspending an article within a container, keeping it from receiving forces applied to the outside walls of the container, providing structural support by using an arch structure to minimize the contact area, securing it from movement within the packaging system, and providing enough spring in the packaging system to provide cushioning during an impact, drop, and vibration in transportation.
In addition to those primary functions of a packaging system, the present disclosure has unlimited benefits of ease of assembly and dispensing due to the generally planar materials used to form an arch for suspending an article. The planar materials offer low cost in shipping, warehousing, and handling. Thus, constructing a packaging system from planar material that can be left in a flat, compact configuration until it is needed, results in much more efficient storage space.
In addition to those functions of a packaging system, the present disclosure has the benefits of protecting articles from dust, dirt, and moisture.
In addition to those functions of a packaging system, the present disclosure has the benefits of unlimited decoration and communication for retail and gifting. This feature is simply not present in current Suspension and Retention Packaging Systems that focus on the primary functions of protecting the articles they contain.
In addition to those functions of a packaging system, the present disclosure has the benefits of unlimited materials. Several materials and combinations of materials can be used to achieve functions and features that any article would require. Thus, increasing the amount, kinds, and types of articles that can utilize the present disclosure. Because articles are different from another amount, kind, or type of article, so are the characteristics and fragileness, requiring different functions and properties from a packaging system. The present disclosure will be able to satisfy many more requirements than the current Suspension and Retention Packaging Systems as well as be able to receive new materials such as biodegradable materials as they are developed, thus providing a plurality of materials to properly protect and provide unlimited decoration for articles requiring advertising, marketing, and gifting, while being lower in overall costs at the same time.